A first-timer at Nuffnang's Blogopolis #IntotheWILD 2013!

For the past few days, I've been excited that I got an invite to one of the hottest, coolest and informative blogger's convention in Manila, the Nuffnang Blogopolis. And because it was my first time to attend, I have no expectations or point of comparisons. I did not even google or researched the event, I was just very excited to attend and happy to take my sister with me. 

Registration started at 12:30 pm but we arrived at 1pm. I can already see a lot of bloggers all over the place, signing up at booths and checking out their loot bags and sponsors' stuff.

More blogging tips and other useful information after the jump!

You may want to think twice about getting the PLDT Telpad

My mom just became "sort of Americanized" by agreeing for an upgrade of telephone service and buying over the phone.

Last month, a telemarketer from PLDT, kept looking for my mom the account holder and offered to upgrade our current PLDT landline and internet plan to a supposed to be better plan: just for an additional 500+ we get to have a PLDT Telpad, a faster internet speed service and unlimited local calls across the the country. She signed up because it was a really good deal and also after thorough thinking how this and the features will fit into our business and lifestyle.

Then the night after the holidays, we immediately received the Telpad package. I thought that was efficient, considering all the paper works and usual hullabaloo that these applications usually come with.

Then the night we got it and had it charged (it doesn't charge while on the dock, mind you. It has to be charged separately from the phone which makes me think What the Fudge is that base for?) I had a hard time figuring out how to turn it on.

When it finally did turn on, it's so slow, that I can make a bathroom break and come back just in time for the rest of the stuff to load.

"You're disappointed because you're used to using an iPad" my friend Poch said, after I ranted how disappointing it is. Actually I was not expecting that it would perform as good/fast as an iPad. I was just hoping it works.

A couple of days later, the first time I actually tried the camera, it had this green blob across the screen that I couldn't even see my subject then it went blank. I did the usual reset, the camera worked with a good photo then the whole screen flickered like it was about to become a disco light.

Then I said, that's it. I am taking this back and it has not even reached a week. I called 171 PLDT hotline ( hotline hours: 8:30 am -5:30pm, Weekdays) and I was advised to take it to the nearest business center and I did:
(More after the jump!)

I will no longer get into details about how I fought my way into cancelling our service after being told that it came with a 24 month bond. But here are the important information that I learned (that might come handy for you too):

1. Those telemarketers who calls you are different from the ones in business centers. It's a hit or miss kind of thing. Their job is only to sell and dispose the PLDT telpads.

2. The Telpad needs to have a different kind of service for it to work. In my case, the agent who sold the Telpad to us forgot to include the service so it became a lot easier to get out of. It looked like they practically gave out the Telpad for free because there's no record, they only found out because I returned it and it's faulty.

3. Only the account holder is authorized to transact and make changes. I had a type written, signed authorization letter with a valid ID when I came to the business center. Your reference number is your phone number, and always get the name of the agent you spoke to.

4. If we went in for repair, it's going to take almost 1 year and we get to use a lesser value/cheaper version of telpad as a service unit.

5. In fairness to the 171  hotline number, it's easy to get an agent (perhaps because no one is calling them anymore?). Just be prepared to speak to an agent who knows nothing about what happened. In my case, I had 6 years of BPO experience with me to back me up and did not hang up until I find a resolution.

In the end, I took back the Telpad to the nearest PLDT business center even if they have nothing to do with because the telemarketers sold it and not them. I was given a recovery receipt as proof that I returned the product and I made the lady manager print out the actual plans that we are only subscribed to as proof. ( I just have to see it for my self.)

In addition, a very reliable little birdie told me that according to track records, the Telpads are faulty. In fact, while I was at the business center, another lady took her Telpad back because it's also malfunctioning.

So if you think having a home phone/ land line tablet is fancy, you may want to think twice about getting the PLDT Telpad

I gave, then He gave me so much more.

I had this mini-campaign to appeal to my friends to donate to Yolanda victims. I'm so happy we were able to raise a certain amount that garnered an appreciation from my friend's HR department. Though the appreciation/recognition part is just a bonus, really.

Honestly, I did not really go dragging all the people I know into donating--- I only shared it to people that I feel strongly about because (and I've proven this to be true):

1. I know that not everyone will participate because we all have needs too (no judgment, that's why I always say regardless of the amount as long as it's sincerely from the bottom of the heart).
2. Some would probably think "Where is this coming from?", I know. Three years ago this is so not me. But had you lived my journey, you would be advocating for this too.
3. Because as I have experienced, when you give wholeheartedly, it somehow, sometimes even magically, goes back to you, threefold. And I would like for my friends and family to experience it too. 

And it's true. Because just very recently, I realized that almost 1/4 of my vision board for the year came true for this year alone and it's not even December yet. All the major ones and things that I am very serious about came looking for me when I was just all about hoping for the best during the start of the year.

And also because when I gave from the utmost sincerity of the heart --- I received another blessing much more than I was expecting and hoping for.

Thank you to my friends who joined and participated and will continue to participate (some in their own individual way). I can't wait to hear about your blessings too!

Excited for the @NuffnangPH Blogopolis "Into the WILD"!

This year I will be attending my first ever Nuffnang event so expect a lot of fan-girl blogging in the coming posts next week! I'm most excited about the speakers and the awards night! Details below: 

Blogopolis 2012: ONLIne in the PHilippines

Last year’s Blogopolis focused on engaging and educating the bloggers of the ever-growing Filipino blogosphere. The conference covered topics related to blogging and its four pillars - content, marketing, monetization and advocacy. It served as an introduction to the blogging industry with the goal of helping our community further their blogging skill set and knowledge.

Blogopolis 2013: #IntoTheWildWeaving Information for Leaders of the Digital world

This year, we are taking you to the Information Jungle. With the surge of social media, and other online platforms, we want to help you make sense of the digital world. Key speakers will be discussing social media know-how and digital marketing and advertising trends. Blogopolis 2013 is a day-long event starting with plenary sessions in the afternoon, and a post-conference party at night where key influencers in the industry will be awarded. This event is open to everyone - bloggers, social media influencers, students, digital marketing officers, and advertisers, and anyone who is interested in the world of digital, particularly social media.

Here’s a list of speakers who will be sharing relevant digital marketing and social media insights (I'm also excited to take down notes!):

• Abe Olandres for The Cycle of Ads: How to Make Social Media Advertising Effective
• Aisa Ipac, Ana Gonzales for Taking your Readers Offline: Successful Ways to Mount a Blog Event
• Christine Dychiao for Blog Fund: 10 Ways to Guide Back Traffic to Your Blog Using Social Media
• Googly Gooeys (Tippy & Pong Go) for The Media Kit: Creating a Compelling Blog and Social Media Proposal
• Jeff Lo for Blog Thy Neighbor
• Jim Paredes for The New Nation 2.0
• Josh Villanueva for Youtube: The Next Frontier
• Lori Baltazar for Podcasting 2.0: The Podcast is Alive
• Chuckie and Yen Dreyfus for The Ultimate Selfie: How to Manage your Social Media Accounts
• Aris Olea (Creator of ConjuRain), Macky Lopez (Gwiyomi “Nasaan na si Mikay?”), Claire Custodio (National University, Cheerquadron) for Going Viral

Nuffnang will also hold its first Nuffie Awards to recognize the contributions of selected online influencers. To vote, you may visit this LINK. 

Blogopolis 2013 is co-presented by Blink

Major Sponsors: Sun Broadband, LG Electronics

Media Partners: Adobo Magazine

Official Timekeeper: Timex

Special thanks to: Print Social

For Blogopolis updates, visit Nuffnang’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

Or visit their very cool official website: www.blogopolis.ph 

P.S. 

If you're going, they have a booth for helping typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) victims too. 

Please. Let us help victims of Typhoon Yolanda

I try, as much as possible, not to post anything negative in this blog, but the article just broke my heart. I was browsing buzzfeed when I saw this statement:

Check the buzzfeed article, you will know what I am talking about.

Not to mention I was watching the news last night when a woman, all limpy, approached TV reporter, Jessica Soho, and asked if she can use the media to call her relatives in Manila to tell them not to return to Tacloban because there is literally nothing to return to. She even enumerated that their mother is dead, their relatives are dead...etc. It is so heart breaking.

Walang mahirap o mayaman. ( There's no rich or poor) Everything is practically wiped out. Everyone needs help.

I had plans for my 30th this month and cancelled my reservations today because this is bigger than my existentialism. What the lady above is going through is nothing compared to my "nearing-three-o" crisis. I will be using my alloted vacay money to send it to Typhoon Yolanda, because this is way beyond feeling good about ourselves. This is bigger. I am lost for words. 

It also happens that our UP President, Alfredo Pascual, issued a memorandum for helping victims of Typhoon Yolanda. Here's the article: 

Super typhoon Yolanda has left a trail of extreme devastation in many parts of the Visayan region over the past few days. Among the areas most affected are two of our campuses — the UPV Tacloban College and the UPM School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte.

Many members of the UP community have indicated their willingness to help and are requesting information on how to channel their financial assistance. At a meeting today with the Chancellors of all constituent universities, including the Dean of UP Cebu, it was agreed that donor contributions in cash should be coursed through the UP Foundation, Inc. (UPFI).

Indicated below are the bank accounts (for Philippine-based donors and those abroad) and contact details of the UPFI. (copy of memo is here) 

Please, if you want to help, you may refer to the details below.

Contact Details of the UP Foundation, Inc.
Direct line: +63 2 929-1941
Trunkline: 981 8500 local 4304
Email address: upfi@up.edu.ph

Bank details (4 accounts):

Payee: U.P. Foundation, Inc.
Address: Room 102, Fonacier Hall (Alumni Center)
Magsaysay Avenue, University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City, 1102

1. Bank: Union Bank of the Philippines
Branch: Acropolis Branch
Peso-Savings Account No.: 00053000-6820
Address: 171 Bridgeview Bldg. E. Rodriguez Jr Avenue, Bagong Bayan, Quezon City

2. Bank: Philippine National Bank
Branch: U.P. Campus Branch, Apacible Street, U.P. Campus, Diliman, Quezon City
Branch Code: 1275
Peso-Savings Account No.: 393565000023
PNB Swift Code: PNBmPHmm

3. Bank: Philippine National Bank
Branch: New York Branch
Branch Name: PNB New York Branch
Branch Code: 700
Customer ID No.: 9400378
US Dollar-Savings Account No.: 94003788000015
Address: 30 Broad Street 36th Floor, New York, NY 10004
Tel. No.: (212) 790-9600
Fax No.:(212) 382-2238
Email: pnbnyc@pnb.com.ph

4. Bank: Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company
Address: Head Office, Metrobank Plaza, Senator Gil J. Puyat Avenue Extension, 1200 Makati City, Philippines
Branch code: 066
EURO Savings Account No.: 066-2066-600429
Swift code or routing No.: mbtcphmm
Fedwire/Fedline: 0260-02846

There's no use to feel sorry for those in Tacloban if we are not going to do something about it. 

Please, let us help.

The 3 million peso Mobile Home

When I was a kid, I dreamt of a car. It was not the regular car that one would name like a Jaguar, a Rolls Royce or a Maserati, it was a mobile home.

Now I know what it looks like for I have seen local celebrities drive around from one shooting location to another. I have always wondered what it looks like on the inside. 

Last weekend I tagged along with my sister to a work-related exhibit and saw this on the display:

It's a mobile home!

(More photos of the mobile home after the jump!)

The Grad School Diaries: Episode 23 - Avoiding Murphy's Law while doing my MS Thesis

My laptop is an old compaq presario. My sister asked their IT guys to check it during the times that it needs to be reformatted and they were amazed that my laptop is still working compared to its laptop batch mates (laptop of the same model).

My laptop has endured wear and tear. Since last year:

• It's battery is not functional so it needs to be plugged in directly to the power outlet. 
• It's screen case has a crack that I didn't even notice.
• The display driver keeps on shutting down and recovers itself right after.

It still works fine, until one weekend, I was typing something on my laptop when it just shut down that I had to restart again. It happened again while my sister was using it, which means it might conk out soon and this time, for good. 

I prayed really hard for my 4 year old laptop to not to conk out on me while I was doing my thesis. I asked my laptop to let me graduate first before finally retiring.  I saw this on the net and it reminded me what my desktop looked like while I was writing my thesis:

I was told that having this messy desktop slows down my laptop but I couldn't really keep it clean. Until one day, I saw on Facebook a horror story of someone's laptop with his dissertation on it and it got stolen with all his drafts and research data.

So, to avoid Murphy's law while writing my thesis, here's what I did:

1. Save the document (word format) and email it to my three email addresses for safekeeping. (What a freak, I know)
2. Saved in 2 USBs.
3. Saved in Drive D and Drive C of the laptop.
4. Back up in my office computer.
5. Create a new gmail account and save my working drafts in "Google Drive".

Better safe than sorry.

Travel Laguna: Rediscovering 88 spa hotspring resort

I've been seeing 88 spa for as long as I can remember and the first time I was there was December last year.  We delivered the bridal bouquet of one of my sister, wedding florist Aprille Araguas' clients and she was checked in at the Nipa Hut with best over looking Mt. Makiling view. I even instagrammed it last year:

(More photos after the jump!)